ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

Friday 4 February		-		Forty-six of the Forty-seven Ronin committed seppuku, 1703. Entomologist Dru Drury born, 1725. The US Electoral College unanimously elected George Washington as the first President of the United States, 1789. Musical instrument maker Adolphe Sax died, 1894. Actor Nigel Bruce born, 1895. The Yalta Conference between Churchill, Stalin & Roosevelt opened, 1945. Actress/singer Natalie Imbruglia born, 1975. Drummer/singer Karen Carpenter died, 1983. Mark Zuckerberg launched Thefacebook.com, the predecessor of Facebook, 2004. World Cancer Day.
Saturday 5 February		-		An earthquake hit Pompeii, Italy, 62. South Carolina ratified the Articles of Confederation, 1778. Physician William Cullen died, 1790. Robert Peel, British Prime Minister and founder of the modern Police Force, born, 1788. Outlaw Belle Starr born, 1848. The Greenwich Observatory began broadcasting the Greenwich Time Signal ("pips"), 1924. Poet Banjo Paterson died, 1941. Actress Jennifer Jason Leigh born, 1962. Actor Doug McClure died, 1995. National Weatherperson's Day in the USA. Runeberg's Birthday in Finland.
Sunday 6 February		-		James II of England and VII of Scotland acceeded to the throne, 1685. Mathematician Nicolaus Bernoulli born, 1695. Landscape gardener Capability Brown died, 1783. Signing of the Treaty of Waitangi, 1840. Lifeboatman Henry Blogg GC BEM born, 1876. Artist Gustav Klimt died, 1918. The Blizzard of 1978 hit New England, 1978. Actress Alice Eve born, 1982. Historian Barbara Tuchman died, 1989. Ronald Reagan Day in California, USA. Waitangi Day in New Zealand.
Monday 7 February		-		The most infamous Bonfire of the Vanities, 1497. Inventor John Deere born, 1804. Novelist Ann Radcliffe died, 1823. Actor/swimmer Buster Crabbe born, 1908. Pinocchio, Disney's second full-length animated film, premiered, 1940. Actress Tina Majorino born, 1985. Singer Matt Munro died, 1985. The European Union came into being with the signing of the Maastricht Treaty, 1992. Actress/singer Dale Evans died, 2001. Independence Day in Grenada.
Tuesday 8 February		-		Founding of Leiden University, 1575. Mary, Queen of Scots executed, 1587. Poet Samuel Butler born, 1612. Writer Jules Verne born, 1828. Appearance of the Devil's Footprints in Devon, England, 1855. Physicist John von Neumann died, 1957. Actor Seth Green born, 1974. 24 Hours in Cyberspace, 1996. Model Anna Nicole Smith died, 2007.
Wednesday 9 February		-		Coronation of Zeno as co-emperor of the Byzantine Empire, 474. Philosopher Thomas Paine born, 1737. Novelist Fyodor Dostoyevsky died, 1881. Actor Ronald Colman born, 1891. Establishment of the Davis Cup, 1900. Singer Travis Tritt born, 1963. First test flight of the Boeing 747, 1969. Farmer Max Yasgur died, 1973. Musician Bill Hailey died, 1981.
Thursday 10 February		-		Mongol forces captured Baghdad, 1258. Writer Montesquieu died, 1755. Essayist Charles Lamb born, 1775. Marriage of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, 1840. Actor/comedian Jimmy Durante born, 1893. Physicist Wilhelm Röntgen died, 1923. Actress Keeley Hawes born, 1976. Chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov was defeated by IBM's Deep Blue computer for the first time, 1996. Actor Roy Scheider died, 2008.

THE WISDOM OF...

This week, Dave Tyson Gentry:

True friendship comes when silence between two people is comfortable.

FILM QUIZ

A mixed bag of quotations. Answers next issue or from the regular address.

• You want a prediction about the weather, you're asking the wrong Phil. I'll give you a winter prediction: It's gonna be cold, it's gonna be grey, and it's gonna last you for the rest of your life.
• - Do you think there really are people who can just go up and say, "Hi, babe. Name's Charles. This is your lucky night"?
  - Well, if there are, they're not English.
• After all... I'm just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her.
• I'm the king of the cul-de-sac. That's what I'm talking about. Jon and I have everything I could ever want. Food in the fridge. Cable and satellite. And don't forget, lasagna. That's right. It's good to be king.
• The name's Tong, James Tong.

Last issue's quotations were:

• - So, would you like to have dinner one night?
  - Oh, I like to have dinner every night.
  -- Wayne's World 2 [1993]
• It looks like we're up chocolate creek without a Popsicle stick!
  -- Shrek 2 [2004]
• He'll light the fuse on any explosive situation, and be a danger to himself and others.
  -- Die Another Day [2002]
• Charles always wanted to build bridges.
  -- X-Men: The Last Stand [2006]
• Police work is as much about preventing crime as it is about fighting crime. Most importantly, it is about procedural correctness in the execution of unquestionable moral authority.
  -- Hot Fuzz [2007]

WEIRD WORLD NEWS

Strange stories from around the world, some of which might be true...

SPEEDY! When Tvika the tortoise was accidentally run over by a lawnmower and found to be paralysed in the rear legs it looked as if she might end up even slower than normal... until vets at the Ramat Gan Safari near Tel Aviv, Israel, attached the rear axle and wheels from a toy Ferrari to the bottom of her shell.

BAMBOOZLED! Scientists at the Hetaoping Research and Conservation Centre in China, tasked with raising panda cubs born in captivity before releasing them into the wild to replenish the diminishing population have come up with a novel way to ensure that their charges don't form too close a mental relationship with humans - they dress up in giant panda suits when working with the cubs.

GOING DOWN! Climber Adam Potter, 36, and friends had just reached the summit of Sgurr Choinnich Mor near Ben Nevis, Scotland, when he lost his footing and fell 1000ft (305m) down the mountain. A Royal Navy rescue helicopter was called out but the only person they could see was standing up and reading a map, so they retraced the route he must have fallen and realised that it was him. "It was quite incredible," observer Lt Tim Barker told reporters, "He must have literally glanced off the [three] outcrops as he fell, almost flying." Potter taken to a hospital in Glasgow, where he was treated for superficial cuts and bruises, and a minor chest injury, and plans to reclimb the mountain.

HOP TO IT! Never mind the 2012 Olympics, competitors are gathering in Harrogate, England, for the first "Rabbit Grand National", part of the 89-year-old Burgess Premier Small Animal Show, which will include over 3000 rabbits, guinea pigs, rats, hamsters and mice. The rabbit contest is new, and will feature 13 rabbits hopping around a course based on horse jumping. The British bunnies are expected to face fierce competition from four Swedish rabbits who are being flown in with their owners. The current world record for rabbit jumping height is almost 1m (3ft), held by Tosen, a Danish bunny, since 1997.

SQUEEK! Israli scientists have developed a new detector to find drugs couriers and would-be bombers in airports. Similar to the full-body scanners already deployed at some airports, the detectors contain three concealed cartridges, each holding eight specially-trained mice. When they smell any substance they have been trained to detect the mice run to a side chamber, setting off an alarm. Early concept tests in a Tel Aviv shopping mall proved successful when the mice correctly detected mock explosives on all 22 people carrying them out of 1000 tested.

ENTERTAINMENT BRIEFS

White Stripes announce split after 13 years and 6 albums. A Sacra Conversazione: The Madonna and Child with Saints Luke and Catherine of Alexandria sets new auction record for Titian works, going for US$10.7m (UK£16.9m) in New York. The King's Speech director Tom Hooper wins Director's Guild of America outstanding directorial award; Martin Scorsese takes lifetime achievement and TV awards. BBC recommissions Walliams/Lucas' airport mockumentary Come Fly With Me for second season. Blue to be next group not to win the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK. Like Crazy and How To Die In Oregon take Sundance grand jury feature and documentary awards. Adele takes #1 and #4 UK album chart spots. L.S. Lowry's The Football Match to be auctioned in May, expected to fetch UK£3.5-4.5m (US$5.66-7.27m). Larry Hagman, Patrick Duffy, Linda Gray to guest in new Dallas spin-off, focussing on their characters' grown children. Miranda Lambert, Kenny Chesney, Taylor Swift lead Academy of Country Music award nominations. Woody Allen's romcom Midnight in Paris to open 2011 Cannes Film Festival in May; Robert De Niro to chair jury. Ryan O'Neal to donate Farrah Fawcett memorabilia including the swimsuit she wore for her most famous poster and Charlie's Angels scripts to Smithsonian museum. Duchess of Cornwall, Camilla Parker Bowles to guest on BBC Radio 4 soap The Archers. UK radio industry body Rajar reports that 25% of all listening is now done through a digital receiver (DAB, digital TV or Internet). Babyshambles singer Pete Doherty in court (again) on drugs charges (again); pleads not guilty (again). Harry Potter movie franchise to get outstanding British contribution to cinema Bafta award. Colin Firth, Cameron Diaz to star in Gambit remake. Javier Bardem rumoured for next Bond villain role. Kristen Stewart rumoured for Lois Lane role in next Superman movie. Alex James planning to launch own music festival in Oxfordshire. Peter Jackson released from hospital after perforated ulcer. Rolling Stones not planning another tour. Black Sabbath talking about reunion album/tour. BBC Radio 1 bans Rihanna's S&M single. Obits: actress Maria Schneider (58), film/TV producer Charles Sellier (67), soprano Dame Margaret Price (69), film score composer John Barry (77), poet Edouard Glissant (83), actress Margaret John (84).

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK

Angry Birds. Simple in concept (catapult various types of birds to destroy the buildings and kill the invading pigs), highly addictive, available to buy for iOS, Nokia N900, Palm webOS, Android, Symbian^3, PSP/PS3, Windows and Mac OS X.

http://www.rovio.com/index.php?page=angry-birds.

THE AMAZING NOT-QUITE-RANDOM LOTTERY PREDICTOR!

Madame Jennifer, our in-house psychic predicts the following numbers will be lucky:

9, 10, 19, 24, 29, 42

AND FINALLY...

   Little Jennifer was having problems keeping up with her classmates in English lessons at school, so one Sunday her teacher decided to visit Little Jennifer's parents to discuss things. She rang the doorbell and Little Jennifer opened the door.

   "Hello, Little Jennifer, is your mother or father in, please?"

   Little Jennifer replied, "They ain't here."

   The teacher looked shocked. "Little Jennifer, what is wrong with your grammar?"

   "I don't know," Little Jennifer answered, "but it really made Dad angry that he had to go bail her out again at the weekend!"